Thick and Thin
by Jeck
Summary: Something is up with Ino and Shikamaru wants to know. NOT ROMANCE! If you look hard, it's Ino/Sakura, but it's NOT Ino/Shikamaru! Clear? Good.


Hey guys! I finished this story earlier today... it's only been sitting on my computer for months now!! I was going to turn it into a multichapter story, but I think it's cute as it is now.

It's more of a focus on Shikamaru and Ino's friendship, with some Chouji too. And there's some Ino and Sakura, but it can either be friendship or more.

I don't own Naruto. At all. How lame...

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Thick and Thin

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"You know what? I want to be just like my dad when I grow up." Chouji pronounced as he opened another bag of chips.

"I agree; the three of us could take our father's place as the Ino-Shika-Cho trio." Shikamaru said in his usual unenthusiastic tone. The two seven-year old boys turned to their female friend.

"Hey Ino, you still alive over there?" Chouji asked through a mouthful of chips.

"Chew and shallow, fatty!" She spat at him which caused him to choke on his chips. Shikamaru just rolled his eyes at the two.

"Seems like someone is in a bad mood today." He muttered as he patted Chouji on the back, trying to help the bigger boy.

"Yeah and you're not helping any. So why don't you just leave me alone." Shikamaru exchanged glances with Chouji, who was busy trying to regain his breath, before turning back to Ino.

"I don't know if you've noticed or not, but you've completely turned into… a super bitch!" Ino and Chouji starred openmouthed at him.

"Dude… you just cursed!" Chouji said with astonishment evident in his voice.

"That's right because we've been putting up with all Ino's crap for the past week." Ino got red in the face as she realized Shikamaru outburst was her fault. But her blush turned to pent up anger in a matter of seconds.

"Mind your own business, you lazy asshole! I don't care if I'm being a bitch to you guys, I really don't. We'll never be like our fathers and could never come anywhere close to being the next Ino-Shika-Cho trio. You guys are wasting your time chasing a lost cause." She screamed in disgust, causing Shikamaru and Chouji to flinch at her words. Never before had she been so nasty and blunt to the boys.

"And what are you going to do, settle for less then the best? Is that why you and that pink haired girl aren't studying together anymore, because you've given up being the best ninja you could become?" Chouji yelled back. Shikamaru stepped in between his two best friends. Ino could feel tears stinging her eyes as she continued to glare at her childhood friend.

"Would you guys cut it out? What's gotten in to you two?" Shikamaru cried, but his pleas fell upon deaf ears.

"Watch what you say, fatass. You could end up regretting it!" She yelled as her fists clenched in front of her small frame. Chouji got red in the face and stood in a similar stance that Ino was in.

"I'M NOT FAT!"

"Don't make me laugh! You're fat and a horrible fighter!" Ino shot back.  
"You think you can take me on?"

"I know so."

"Guys, cut this out. We're friends!" Shikamaru's reasoning was finally heard by his angry friends and they let their guard down. He sighed and continued.

"What's fighting going to do, but anger our parents later. It's so troublesome and useless to be fighting about nothing." Both Ino and Chouji nodded to Shikamaru's wise words.

"I'm sorry, Ino." Chouji said and held out his hand. Ino look at it for a moment before looking Chouji in the face.

"I'm not." And with that, Ino swung back her right fist and had it connect with Chouji's jaw.

"AARRRGGGHHHH!" Chouji cried out as he collapsed on the ground holding his face. Shikamaru followed him down; checking to make sure his friend was okay.

"It looks okay Chouji, just bruised." Chouji nodded and they turned to Ino, but saw that she had disappeared.

"How troublesome…" Shikamaru said in defeat as he helped up Chouji.

* * *

"Ino! INO!" Shikamaru called, but there was no answer. Night had fallen over the Hidden Leaf Village and no one could seem to find Ino. Chouji was a home sporting a nice big icepack while Shikamaru was out looking for the culprit responsible for Chouji's injury. Inoichi was also out looking for his daughter, cursing himself for having a daughter over a son. Chouza and Shikaku had left for the bar, after heckling Inoichi some more about his daughter. All and all, Inoichi was not a happy man. So that's why Shikamaru was here in the park after volunteering to help to save his female friend from her father.

"INO!" He tried again, but there was still no answer. He briefly thought she might have left the village until something caught his attention. There was a faint sound coming from one of the cherry blossoms trees in the back of the park. Shikamaru continued to make his way through the park while following the noise. Once he found the right tree, he realized what the noises were.

"Ino? Ino, why are you crying?" He asked softly, noting how troublesome crying girls were. He barely had time to react when a rock whirled past his head.

"Go away!" The tree called down to him. Shikamaru sighed and shook his head.

"Come on. Ino. I just want to talk." This time, Shikamaru was prepared for the flying rock and caught it in one simple motion. He stood there for a moment, thinking about he pissed of he was about to make Ino before launching the rock back into the tree.

"What the…" He heard as the blonde fell from her tree branch and landed in front of the boy on her back.

"Nice to see you too." He said before taking a seat next to her. Ino scoffed before sitting up and rubbing her tearstained eyes.

"I hate you so much right now."

"I'm glad the feeling is mutual."

"Any real reason you had to go knock me out of my tree?"

"Any real reason you've been treating us like crap?" Ino didn't respond and instead took to leaning on Shikamaru's shoulder.

"How much do you guys really hate me?"

"We don't, we're just concerned."

"Oh." Shikamaru sighed and put his arm around the smaller girl.

"This has to do with Sakura, doesn't it?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe yes or maybe no."

"Maybe yes." Shikamaru grunted.

"You girls are all so…"

"Don't say it!"

"… troublesome." Ino sat up and shook her head.

"Sakura isn't troublesome. She's innocent and naïve. Her mind is so easily played with and now we're not friends anymore." Shikamaru starred at Ino as she spoke, tears flowing freely down her face again.

"Have you been playing with her mind?" Ino coughed, but shook her head again.

"No, all I'm guilty of was being nice and helping her to believe in herself. But all those popular girls wouldn't have any of it and turned her against me." She choked out, the mere memory causing her to cry harder. Shikamaru sighed again and wrapped her in a hug, causing her to cry into his shoulder.

"I'm not very good at this comforting stuff." He whispered into her ear, making her giggle with crying which turned into a choking noise.

"Thanks for trying."

"Anytime, Ino. Anytime." Ino and Shikamaru sat under the cherry blossom tree for what seemed like hours before Ino cleared her throat.

"Want to hear the rest?"

"There's more?" Ino nodded and Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag…"

"If you don't want to hear it, just tell me." Shikamaru smiled.

"You should probably get it off your chest anyway." Ino smiled back and cuddled closer to Shikamaru.

"Probably. So anyway, all the popular girls told Sakura I liked that Uchiha boy, Sasuke. She came up to me the other day and declared us rivals." Shikamaru sighed.

"Didn't Chouji and I tell you those girls were no good?"

"I realized that after I met Sakura. She helped me understand what a true friendship was, but now…"

"But now you can't understand what ruined that friendship."

"You really are a genius, you know. I just don't understand how a boy I don't even like ruined the best thing that ever happened to me besides for meeting you and Chouji." Silence filled the air as a few stray clouds passed in front of the moon.

"It's late; you should probably go home now. Your dad is worried sick and pretty pissed off." Ino sighed and stood up, brushing the dirt off her pants.

"Yeah, I should. And… thanks Shikamaru. You're truly my best friend." Shikamaru smiled.

"I would say the same for you, but you're just so troublesome sometimes." She giggled as she waved goodbye and ran back into town in the direction of her house, ready for the punishment her dad was definitely going to give her. Shikamaru shook his head, a smile spread across his face as he leaned back on the tree.

"They were made for each other." He mumbled as he gazed up at the stars above.

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The End

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Awwwww... isn't that cute? Let me know!! REVIEW!!


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